We’ve all seen those signs outside of establishments that say “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.” Many institutions have minimal dress code standards that are enforced through company policy, like stores and schools for example.
Unfortunately, the issue isn’t as black and white as one would think.
When dress code standards are “implied” instead of coming from actual policy, whether or not someone is following said dress code is as subjective as the employee making the call.
RELATED STORIES
Airline dress codes are quite “up in the air”, so to speak.
If you ask three different people about an airline’s dress code policy, you’re likely to get three completely different answers. This is because most airlines have minimal dress requirements (shoes and shirts) coupled with vague rules such as “no inappropriate clothing.”
Who gets to decide whether clothing is inappropriate? Whoever is in charge of boarding the plane.
On January 13th, a woman traveling with United Airlines from Denver to Newark became the subject of controversy after an airline employee decided that the woman’s clothing was “not appropriate.”
Andrea Worldwide uses her United Airlines Platinum Membership to frequently visit her boyfriend in Puerto Rico.
However, this is the first time she has ever encountered issues boarding a United Airlines plane.
While boarding, a male employee told Worldwide to “step aside.”
“I didn’t get a reason at first, and then there was a little bit of shuffling going on with the other employees,” she explains.
At first, it was unclear as to why she had been singled out.
Eventually, a supervisor told her that she was not allowed to board the plane because of the shirt she was wearing.
It is important to note that there is no formal dress code for United Airlines passengers.
“I’m completely humiliated, embarrassed, confused. I feel like all eyes are on me.”
The employees later changed their minds and allowed Worldwide to board the plane, but by that point, she felt extremely humiliated. She was offered a travel voucher as an apology, which she did not take.
After Worldwide posted about the altercation on social media, United Airlines released a statement on the issue.
“At United, our goal is for our customers to feel welcome and have a comfortable journey.,” the statement reads, “We are reaching out to our customer to better understand what happened.”
However, Worldwide is now reconsidering her membership with the airline.
“Two hundred dollars doesn’t even compare to the humiliation that I faced,” she explains, “And if another female has to face this, I’d rather get the word out and maybe they’ll choose a different airline.”
h/t: CBS Denver
